New Scientist


We must adapt to climate change while also tackling the root cause

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The devastating wildfires in Europe demand urgent measures to make landscapes more resilient, but without action to reduce use of fossil fuels, the danger is only going to increase


Twisteddoodles: ‘Will you take the red pill or the blue pill?’

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

This week's cartoon from Twisteddoodles


Tom Gauld visits the entomology department

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon


This week’s new questions

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Humans can see water but not air. So can fish see air? And would it be possible to have anti-black holes, and how could we tell if we were looking at one?


Why don’t dogs look up when a low-flying plane passes overhead? part 2

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Readers continue to give their examples of dogs who do notice passing aircraft – but also put forward some ideas as to why they generally don’t


How does my energy use differ if I walk, jog or run for 1 kilometre?

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

A reader weighs in on this one – and finds it will depend on how far you’re travelling


At what point does my family tree stop doubling and start decreasing?

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Readers debate how the introduction of bicycles and trains will have led to less closely related prospective partners for our ancestors – and consider various royal dynasties from this perspective


The mathematics of balloon animals

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Feedback is delighted to be pointed towards an old but still vital piece of research that presents “a general mathematical and algorithmic theory for balloon-twisting structures”


Dive into an in-depth history of the realities of space exploration

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Out of This World by Peter Bond lays out the successes and failures of space exploration. It reminds us of what faces all who venture into the unknown, says Karmela Padavic-Callaghan


What is life? A provocative new book sets out to redefine it

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Melanie Challenger's Alive aims to describe the living world very differently – by insisting on agency and purpose everywhere. Michael Marshall explores